Janáček Theatre to host the first ever international competition for junior dancers

5 June 2023, 1:00
Janáček Theatre to host the first ever international competition for junior dancers

A new project titled the European Dance Competition Brno 2023 is being developed at the Brno National Theatre - an international dance competition for students of dance conservatories and professional ballet schools from all over Europe from ages 12 years to graduation. The aim of the competition is to become a platform for discovering, supporting and promoting new promising dance talents.

The European Dance Competition Brno 2023 harks back to the rich history of the NbD Ballet’s collaboration in organising Czech, Czechoslovak and the historically first international ballet competitions at the Brno National Theatre. The NdB Ballet decided to change the traditional model of ballet competitions and organise an international contest in cooperation with the Brno-based Filiánek Ballet School and the Art 4People creative production company. The competition will take place on 27-29 June 2023 at the Janáček Theatre, with registration open until 9 June.

Organising the dance competition fulfils an important part of our long-term strategy. It includes the widest possible coverage of the NdB Ballet within the art of dance. Just as the founding of the NdB 2 junior company was a historical milestone for us, the European Dance Competition is an equally important tool for finding talent for our company,” added Mário Radačovský, Artistic Director of the NdB Ballet.

The focus of the contest allows for the expansion of the competition spectrum to include purely contemporary forms of dance, without the obligation of demonstrating exceptional skills in classical dance technique. This approach is a fundamental change that allows young dancers who are mainly focused on contemporary dance to participate in the competition. The jury will be composed of leading European experts, with Petr Zuska, the long-time artistic director of the National Theatre Ballet in Prague, as the president. The dancers’ performances will be judged by Boris Nebyla, Artistic Director of the European Ballet Grand Prix; Anastasia Matvienko, emeritus principal dancer of the Mariinsky Theatre; Lukáš Timulak, renowned choreographer; and Simona Noja-Nebyla, former principal dancer of the Vienna State Ballet.

Just like the project of the NdB Ballet 2 junior company, the international dance competition is focused on the future of the artistic dance field and targets young dancers. The main prize in the competition is an engagement with NdB Ballet 2, valued at CZK 300,000. Another opportunity for the winners will be free participation in the summer masterclass with world-class dancers Nina Ananiashvili and Denis Matvienko in Brno (10-16 July). A voucher for a 20% discount on the Summer Intensive Masterclass in Brno will be awarded to all the participants.

An international jury will judge the young dancers in three competition categories over three competition days, with the second and third rounds open to the public.

Competition website photo

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